“It's tough to say who (is) better,” Malkin said. “Datsyuk has a quicker stick, longer reach. He can take pucks from between your legs, if you have it close. Sid is so strong. He wins battles in corners. He plays physical. He takes puck from you like that, then goes to try (and) score.

“Both guys are great at defense.”

Datsyuk, of Detroit, is a finalist to win the Selke Trophy this season. He is joined by centers Jonathan Toews (Chicago) and Patrice Bergeron (Boston).

Finalists were announced Wednesday. The winner will be unveiled during the Stanley Cup final.

The Selke Trophy was one of the NHL Awards voted on by a record 178 members of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association, including six voters from the Pittsburgh chapter. Crosby is a finalist for the Hart (MVP) and Masterton (perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication) trophies, and the Lindsay Award (outstanding player).

Crosby never would publicly lobby for a Selke nomination, but Penguins right winger James Neal conceded his captain's defense is mostly underappreciated around the NHL.

“It's hard to explain,” Neal said. “You have to watch him play a lot.”

Even then, knowing what to look for is critical.

That was the case on perhaps Crosby's signature playoff goal, scored last Thursday at Consol Energy Center in Game 5 of the first-round series against the New York Islanders. The highlight was Crosby splitting two Islanders players — a la Mario Lemieux — before scoring on goalie Evgeni Nabokov.

“Rewind by 10 seconds, and you'll see that in the corner he breaks up a play, and then, he is the first guy up the ice,” Neal said.

Coach Dan Bylsma often has referred to Crosby as a “200-foot player” because he is tenacious in the offensive and defensive zones.

On average, Crosby generates about 10 chances every game — for himself or those on the ice with him — because of his work in the defensive zone, Bylsma said.

“We get to the offensive zone quick because he is so good defensively,” defenseman Kris Letang said.

“He makes defense look easy because he is so smart. He doesn't have to cheat. Most guys do. When he cuts off a play, he knows exactly where everybody is.”

Crosby is not a statistical darling defensively, though.

Even faceoffs results — a favorable real-time category for Crosby, who was at 54.3 percent during the season — are subject to scrutiny.

Most real-time stats are judgment calls.

Still, they are officially used to measure giveaways and takeaways even though they are generally dismissed because there are no set guidelines by which to judge for arena crews.

The Penguins were credited with only four giveaways in a 4-1 victory over Ottawa on Tuesday. The Penguins' staff considers a “good game” one in which players commit between 40-45 giveaways.

Datsyuk is a takeaway specialist. His 56 during the regular season were tied with Toews for first overall. Datsyuk was third with 97 takeaways last season and 11th with 71 in only 54 games the previous campaign.

Crosby, in his last healthy season with 81 games in 2009-10, was second on the Penguins with 43 takeaways — 13 fewer than Malkin, who played in only 67 contests.

There is no official stat for puck possession. That hurts Crosby's cause for consideration as an elite defensive player, Penguins center Brandon Sutter said.

“He's a guy that hangs on to the puck, and when you do that the other team doesn't get a chance to do anything against you,” Sutter said.

A couple of Senators players — center Kyle Turris and right winger Erik Condra — tried Wednesday to assess Crosby's defensive work, but they kept coming back to his “strength and explosiveness offensively.”

Crosby's offensive dominance — he was running away with scoring titles in two of the past three seasons cut short by injuries — is his worst enemy when it comes to defensive recognition, Malkin said.

“Defense, Sid?” Malkin said. “He is (the) best scorer.”

Malkin, a former MVP and two-time scoring champion, paused to consider his statement.

TribLive commenting policy

You are solely responsible for your comments and by using TribLive.com you agree to our Terms of Service.

We moderate comments. Our goal is to provide substantive commentary for a general readership. By screening submissions, we provide a space where readers can share intelligent and informed commentary that enhances the quality of our news and information.

While most comments will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive, moderating decisions are subjective. We will make them as carefully and consistently as we can. Because of the volume of reader comments, we cannot review individual moderation decisions with readers.

We value thoughtful comments representing a range of views that make their point quickly and politely. We make an effort to protect discussions from repeated comments  either by the same reader or different readers.

We follow the same standards for taste as the daily newspaper. A few things we won't tolerate: personal attacks, obscenity, vulgarity, profanity (including expletives and letters followed by dashes), commercial promotion, impersonations, incoherence, proselytizing and SHOUTING. Don't include URLs to Web sites.

We do not edit comments. They are either approved or deleted. We reserve the right to edit a comment that is quoted or excerpted in an article. In this case, we may fix spelling and punctuation.

We welcome strong opinions and criticism of our work, but we don't want comments to become bogged down with discussions of our policies and we will moderate accordingly.

We appreciate it when readers and people quoted in articles or blog posts point out errors of fact or emphasis and will investigate all assertions. But these suggestions should be sent via e-mail. To avoid distracting other readers, we won't publish comments that suggest a correction. Instead, corrections will be made in a blog post or in an article.

Print Source

Welcome to PrintSource, a division of Trib Total Media.

We have established a veteran team that provides daily and weekly newspaper companies with a comprehensive set of services that include design, print, packaging and delivery of their products, all from one source and location.

Gone are the days when each facet of newspaper printing and delivery had to be outsourced to different companies and venues. Now, PrintSource provides a viable solution with just one phone call.

Digital Sales

We offer a wide variety of traditional and new digital advertising options customized to fit your needs!

Whether you're just starting out, or you've been a keystone in the community for years, our knowledgeable staff can provide you with a customized package including online banners/advertisements, Social Media Marketing (Facebook / Twitter), Website development, Search Engine Optimization, Email Marketing solutions and much more!

Contact your local sales rep today for details, personalized proposal and a meeting to discuss how we can meet your needs.